Sunday, 15 March 2015

Work in Progress @patrickfriesen - Sydney CBD - Sydney, Australia

With only a few weeks remaining till the end of March, I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and post about this place before it officially closes its doors at the end of the month.

Work in Progress is a fried chicken and noodle pop up bar by Patrick Friesen, the head chef of Papi Chulo. As part of the March into Merivale events that are happening, Work in Progress will be open for 5 weeks from the 26th of Febraury to the end of the food festival. The cuisine available here is basically a concoction of the chef's favourite foods that he likes to eat.

I'm surprised at how good the interior looks for a pop up restaurant. A mix of street style and colourful pop art. It's described as a bar but I think of it as more like a casual eatery, as there are a number of tables and chairs to sit at. You place your order at the bar and quote your table number, then the food is brought out.

The short menu is broken up into three sections including snacks and vegetables, noodles and fried chicken. It doesn't get easier than that. Who doesn't love fried chicken and noodles? I'm sure most do including myself. I even returned a week later and sampled a few items I didn't end up trying. If you're here with a larger group, you could probably try all items on the menu in one visit. They also have an elaborate drinks menu but we were here more for the food.

The 'Pancake ($6.00)' is a pan-fried shallot pancake that takes its inspirations from the Chinese and Korean kitchens. It's crispy on the outside, with flaky layers on the inside. It's a nice snack to start the meal as it's not overly oily but a tad dry. A squeeze of the chilli sauce does wonders.

The 'Wontons ($12.00)' are served in a Chinese bowl that I use to have in my kitchen a long time ago. It brings back childhood memories. Four little morsels of plump prawn and pork wontons in a Sichuan pepper and strange sauce. Strange sauce? It had hints of balsamic vinegar and soya sauce but we couldn't really determine what else was it in it.

The 'Tofu ($14.00)' is agedashi'ish style. It shares a striking resemblance to the Japanese takoyaki balls in terms of appearance and taste, but in tofu form. Lightly fried silken tofu in a dashi broth and coated with lashings of mayonnaise, bonito flakes and takoyaki sauce. A combination that works well together and it's just fantastic.

'Crab Noodles ($16.00)' consists of snow crab and tobiko, tossed together in a shell fish oil lo mein. The noodles are springy and have a nice bite to it. We find that it lacks a little bit of flavour due to the inadequate amount of oil. A quick drizzle of chilli sauce helps to give it that extra kick.

The 'Duck Noodles ($16.00)' are packed with a whole lot of spice. Sichuan spiced minced duck and firm tofu on top of lo mein, a wheat flour type of egg noodle. The flavour is strong and bold with hints of pepper, and a bit too much for some at the table.

Saving the best part for last.

We wanted to try all variations of fried chicken on offer, so the best way to do that was to have the 'Halfies ($18.00)' which is half and half fried chicken of the 'Ginger Ninja' and 'Chilli Nuts', and the 'Fly High ($16.00)'. All fried chicken is served with a side of picked daikon, kimchi and garlic cucumbers.

The 'Ginger Ninja' is the original fried chicken with a ginger nuoc cham or otherwise known as a Vietnamese dipping sauce. The chicken had a crispy texture like the Korean fried chicken found at Naruone, and it was awesomely crunchy.

The other half was the 'Chilli Nuts'. Basically the original fried chicken coated in a thick and sticky chilli sauce. While it was also very delicious, we preferred the Ginger Ninja as the sauce softened the crispy exterior of the chicken rather quickly.

The 'Fly High' is Pnomh Penh wings served with a lime and white pepper sauce. The flour coating was much lighter as compared to the previous two but it was still crispy and flavoursome with hints of salt, pepper and garlic. My favourite fried chicken for the night as it was delectable and I couldn't stop at one.

I'm a big fan of Ms.G's, another restaurant that's part of the Merivale Group. The food there is always nearly spot on and in general I love the laid back atmosphere. The Asian inspired dishes here reminded me very much of what I usually have at Ms.G's and it was delicious. The food portions at Work in Progress are decent, it's extremely affordable and most of all the food was good. If only it was open for longer. Hurry! Go now before it's too late.